A Mother's Love
by dantesdarkqueen
Summary: A secret pregnancy, a hidden child. Akalara will do anything to keep her son out of Hojo's clutches, but has she already been found out? Can she protect him from the very people she works for? Companion piece to Discovery and Evidence of Sephiroth's H.
1. Nostalgia

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **This is an oddball in my carefully-organized fics. Amazon's writing a fic known as "Discovery: An Operation Assassination Subplot," and one of the major discoveries in there is that Akalara, the Green Bitch/Green Goddess (depending on who you talk to ;D), has had a baby. Specifically, _Sephiroth's _baby. Well, since Akalara is my OC, I decided I wanted to delve further into this matter on my own (actually, that's a lie. I was in the shower and the muses granted me this idea out of the blue. Perverted muses...). So, here we have a companion fic to "Discovery" _and _"Evidence of Sephiroth's Humanity"! Having never been pregnant myself, I'm going to be working with the stereotypes for the duration of Akalara's pregnancy. If any of my readers want to give me pointers, or request things they want to see happen to Akalara that happened to them during their pregnancies, by all means please do! My mother works as a labor and delivery nurse, so I have plenty of knowledge about childbirth, but she can't tell me much of anything about actual pregnancy.

Nostalgia

Akalara gazed out the window, cranberry eyes fixed on the snowflakes drifting outside the pane. Icesicle Inn was breath-taking at this time of year, the hills glittering with a blanket of clean white snow and the trees draped in crystalline splendor. So different from Midgar, with its eternal pall of pollution and the lifeless wasteland surrounding it. A far better place to live, to grow up, to be a kid.

A far better, _safer_ location to birth a child.

Her hands idly cradled and caressed her bulging abdomen.

Nine months to the day since last she and Sephiroth had had sex. She was due any day now.

The Turk trainee couldn't help thinking that this baby was her lover's farewell gift to her.

Akalara wished she could tell someone. Kandi or Reno, maybe even Lily or Christine. They were her best friends, and they were all hurting too, still grieving over the loss of the men they had all known, loved, and lost. Recovering from the shock of Zack and Sephiroth's deaths. She had been hit especially hard; the green-haired trainee had only just gotten out of the bathroom after confirming her pregnancy with a test strip when Reno had stopped her in the hallway, holding her against his chest in a death-grip while he solemnly informed her of their passing.

A span of fifteen minutes had been all it had taken to turn her life completely upside down.

Akalara had stayed at Shinra, continuing with her training, for about two months, using physical activity to keep her mind off Sephiroth's death and her unplanned, unexpected pregnancy. By the time the third month had rolled around, she had broken out of her feedback loop and gone to Verdot's office, asking for a leave of absence, length of time undetermined. The reason she had given was that she needed time to get over her lover's death, to grieve and move on. The Turk superior had granted her the leave, and the very next day she had been in her car, on her way to Icesicle Inn, as far away from Shinra as her savings could comfortably get her.

She couldn't let anybody know that she was pregnant, especially with Sephiroth's child. If she confessed the secret to _anyone_, word would eventually filter back to Shinra, to _Hojo. _That was the last thing Akalara wanted. Through Zack and Sephiroth, and her own illicit snooping, she had learned about the silver-haired general's nightmarish childhood. There was no way she was going to let that happen to her baby. To _Seph's _baby. She would kill herself and the baby before she'd let Hojo get his hands on either one of them.

Because Hojo wouldn't be satisfied with her baby alone. Oh no, he'd want to experiment on her as well, to see how she could have possibly gotten pregnant when he had declared that Sephiroth would never be able to sire children due to the high concentration of mako in his sperm (Seph hadn't known about that, but she had. She and Kandi had hacked into the files once, just to see what Hojo had on all of them). Besides, a good strong woman like herself would make a prime test subject for all manner of weird shit. If Hojo got his hands on her or the baby, he would never let them go. And Akalara wasn't sure if she could break them out; security for the labs was insanely tight and she wasn't a techno-wizard like Kandi.

The only option was to make sure nobody inside Shinra ever learned about this baby, especially not who had sired it. Secrecy was the only form of protection she was assured of, that she knew would work.

"Nobody's going to hurt you, baby," she promised, laying her hand atop her stomach. "As long as I have breath in my body, I'm not going to let anybody from Shinra touch you."

She felt the sharp impact of a foot beneath her palm and smiled. "Glad you agree."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

_Akalara lowered the gun and hit the button on the control panel, bringing the target forward for closer examination. Fourteen shots in the head and chest, almost dead-center, two incapacitation shots, one through each shoulder. The green-haired woman grinned; she had always been a good shot, but since she had entered the Turk training program her marksmanship had increased to lethal accuracy. Now she was one of the best sharpshooters in the Turks and the trainees. _

_"Impressive. Remind me to never piss you off while you have a gun in your hand."_

_Akalara jumped at the familiar deep, smooth voice. Spinning and yanking off her protective ear-mufflers and safety glasses, she saw him leaning against the door-jamp in the entrance to the firing range, watching her with a little smirk. _

_2213 hours, or rather, 10:13 pm. She hadn't realized it was this late. She was supposed to have met him for dinner an hour ago. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."_

_"You're the only person still here. Everyone else has gone home for the night." Sephiroth motioned towards the firing range. "Keep at your practice. I enjoy watching you shoot."_

_Akalara smiled and turned back to the range, changing out the target with a fresh one and reloading her 9mm. She had just finished and was aiming when strong arms slid around her waist and teeth nibbled at her ear. Surprised, she squeezed off a round; the bullet missed the target completely, digging into the wall about two feet away from the paper silhouette. _

_Her antagonizer chuckled darkly. "Now, Akalara. You should know better. Aren't Turks supposed to be able to continue their work, despite any and all distractions?"_

_"Y-yeah," she agreed, raising the gun once more and trying to ignore the silver-haired devil nipping at her weak spots. _

_"Here." He passed her a gun. "Use this instead. I know you like them _big._" He emphasized the word by grinding his hips against her ass, just hard enough to make the action erotic rather than lewd. Akalara exhaled shakily, then raised the gun. A .44 Magnum. Nice. _

_"Big and powerful. Just how you like it." Sephiroth's mouth migrated to where her shoulder met her neck, his teeth and tongue sending sweet heat down her spine to pool in her groin. The green-haired woman moaned softly and raised the magnum, squeezing the trigger. _

_One large hand squeezed her through her skirt. The shot tore through the paper beside the silhouette's head._

_"Focus, Akalara." The hand slid upward and was joined by the other, slowly pulling her snap-front white shirt open. She felt him chuckle and shivered as he discovered her naughty secret. "No bra today? I bet the men enjoyed watching you on the obstacle course. Especially while you were straddling the wall."_

_The next shot exploded into the air just as his fingers, his warm hands, covered her nipples. _

_"Another miss." He blew hotly into her ear and felt her shudder. "Am I distracting you, Akalara?"_

_In reply, she squeezed the trigger once more, this time catching the target right between the non-existent eyes. Then she put the gun down and reached behind her, burrowing her fingers into his glorious silver hair and pulling him down further. Sephiroth was more than six feet tall, and Akalara barely topped five; standing positions could never be maintained forever, not if they intended to actually _do _anything._

_As her lover was proving now. Bending over like this was starting to hurt his back; Sephiroth turned her around and boosted her up onto the ledge that held her guns and clips, shoving them out of the way without any mind as to whether they were loaded or not. Now at a similar height, they wre able to explore each other at will._

_When their clothes were open and out of the way, Sephiroth pulled another gun out of his back pocket. Akalara knew the gun was a mere prop, just a stage gun with a filled-in barrel and nowhere for a bullet to go. But for this game, it _was_ a real gun. He held the gun to her forehead and she immediately spread her legs, playing along. Sephiroth never truly hurt her, but both of them were doubly turned on by the presence of the gun. The general never carried one normally, so whenever Akalara saw him with one she knew she was going to get fucked with it sooner or later during the day, or 'threatened' into acquiesing with his sexual demands. _

_"Already wet, are we?" He bit off one glove and let his fingers explore between her legs. "I don't recall telling you you could get wet."_

_"Big guns turn me on." She made no effort to touch him. That, too, was a part of the game. It was all about dominance and submission. She was just as often the one holding the gun to his head as he was to her. _

_"Do you mean guns, or..." A quick jerk had his leather pants unfastened, his cock already stiff and ready. "...cocks?"_

_Akalara moaned. "I don't care whichever one I mean. Just put it inside me already!"_

_Sephiroth chuckled. "As you wish."_

_The trainee's head was thrown back as he shoved inside her, as fast as he could. As he began thrusting, he pulled her forward until she was just barely on the ledge. Akalara found herself with a mouthful of metal a second later. _

_"Suck it, bitch," he snarled. "Slide your tongue all over that barrel."_

_Akalara obeyed, licking and sucking on the gun as though it was a cock. Sephiroth groaned at the sight and ground against her hard, his free hand holding her steady on the very edge of the ledge. "That's it... Get it slick..."_

_She acquiesed, practically deep-throating the gun before her lover pulled it out and lifted her completely off the shelf, sitting the ledge himself a moment later. Akalara braced herself and took the dominant role, lifting and lowering her hips at a tightly-controlled pace. Sephiroth leaned forward to nip a series of love-bites into her collarbone, his hot tongue smoothing along the abused skin just as the gun made its presence known again. _

_The Turk trainee froze, her cranberry eyes going wide with both shock and lust as the gun prodded at her back door. Sephiroth smirked against her neck; he had never used the gun like this before, but if he was right..._

_His lover's movements became twice as frantic, accompanied by little whimpers and soft, pleading noises as she repeatedly impaled herself on both cock and gun. Sephiroth held the gun steady and feasted on her throat and breasts, his free hand alternating between gripping her hip and stroking her clit. _

_All good things must come to an end. All too soon, Akalara felt the pressure growing in her core, saw the strain in her lover's face. "I'm going to come," he warned, his voice tight._

_"So am I," she gasped, sitting on him once more._

_"Come on, Ak... Come with me...!" He felt his ejaculation start and slammed the gun into her ass at the same time that his thumb pressed down on her clit. The green-haired trainee arched her back and screamed her release just as Sephiroth's hips lifted off the ledge, his seed pumping deep inside her body._

_The gun was taken out and she collapsed against him, his arms tight around her. It was during moments like this when Akalara could pretend Sephiroth actually loved her. She knew he cared deeply for her, and the feeling was mutual, but he didn't _love _her. _

_Or at least, she didn't think he did. He was so hard to interpret sometimes, she couldn't get an accurate reading. _

_She did know, from talking with the secretaries, that she was the only woman in Shinra he cuddled with like this. The general was considerate of a woman's needs, but typically after the sex was over and his bed-mate for the night had recovered, she would turn her head or roll over only to find herself facing Sephiroth's back. _

_He had never done that to Akalara. Every single time they coupled, he always held her afterwards._

_Somehow, someway, she was special to him. She just didn't know exactly _how.

_She felt his lips press against her scalp in a tender kiss. "I'm leaving on a mission in the morning. It shouldn't be too long before I come back. I have some leave-time saved up; how do you feel about going to Wutai with me for a week?"_

_Akalara smiled and snuggled into his chest. "I'd like that. I've never been outside Midgar before." A thought struck her. "Where are you going tommorrow?"_

_"Nibelheim."_

_"Oh. You mean that mission Zack said he was assigned to?"_

_"Yes." He hitched her up tighter against him and laid his head atop her own. _

_"Cool." She closed her eyes, listening to the thick, steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. _

_They remained like that for a long moment, then separated and rearranged their clothes. Sephiroth took her hand. "Come. I want to spend the rest of the night making love to you."_

_"You know I have no objections," she replied with a smile and a naughty wink. He did this every time he went out on a mission. "But are you sure you can go all night long?"_

_He laughed outright, knowing she was teasing him. She was perfectly aware of his stamina in bed. "I promise, by the time you wake up tommorrow you'll be so full of my seed that you'll slosh when you walk. _If_ you even can."_

_"I'll hold you to that, Seph." _

_He wrapped an arm around her waist possessively as they left the training level and waited for the elevator. "I know you will."_


	2. Cherished Nightmare

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **Hilda is actually the person who I initially had envisioned when I thought of this fic. I mean, she came to mind before Akalara did. I should tell you, Hilda has some secrets of her own... I know it doesn't look like it, but she has an English accent. You know, the accent the maid has in Pirates of the Caribbean 1? The maid who tells Elizabeth the pirates want to kidnap her? Yeah, Hilda sounds like that. And also like that washer-woman who cleans the tennis player's skirt on that one tv commercial. I don't think the innkeepers in FFVII ever had names, so I'm naming the Icesicle Inn ones. One very important thing to mention about Akalara: she's never had a stable life. Tossed out by her parents when she was four, grew up in a gang on the streets of Sector 5, moved to the streets of the upper plate when she was fifteen, worked as a stripper/topless-dancer until she was eighteen, then became involved with the Turks and Sephiroth... No matter what she's done, her entire life has been spent wondering about the future. Nothing was ever certain. That's why she has a dream that's a bit different from that of normal people her age, and why she reacts the way she does.

Cherished Nightmare

"Would you like some tea, love?" Akalara looked up from her book. "It's cold enough out you might want a hot drink to warm you up."

"I would like that, Hilda. But I'd prefer hot chocolate, if Abbie has any to spare."

"I'll see if she does. I'll be back in a jiff, love." Akalara smiled as the plump blond woman bustled away; Hilda Ravensgaard was a fellow guest at the inn, and she had taken to the green-haired woman as though she were her own daughter, mothering and pampering her at every opportunity. Akalara didn't mind; she was actually quite fond of the old bird. Hilda's arrival at the inn was a most fortuitious one. She was trained in the ways of the midwife, and her services would be needed all too soon.

Abbie, the inkeeper's wife, had been the one to suggest that Hilda extend her stay until after the birth had taken place. Having three little ones of her own, she knew how much easier the childbirthing process could be with a skilled midwife on hand. Akalara was grateful for the other woman's foresight; she had been so preoccupied with her own worries, she hadn't even thought to mention to Hilda that she was with child.

The mother-to-be continued reading her book, relaxing before the heat of the fire while a blizzard raged outside. November was a very tumultuous month for the frozen village, and they would probably be snowed-in by midnight. Not a big issue; she rarely left the inn since her third trimester had begun.

"Here you go, love." Hilda brought a silver teapot and cups out of the kitchen, followed by Jyllian and Cutter, two of Abbie's children. Jyllian carried a plate of fresh-baked sugar cookies, and Cutter dragged a table over to set them down on. That done, he brought a second rocking chair over.

"Need a blanket, Miss?" he inquired, eyes downcast.

Akalara smiled. Cutter had developed a crush on her shortly after her arrival, and constantly went out of his way to do things for her, a way of displaying his affections. She thought he was sweet, but of course she wasn't going to fulfill his adolescent dreams. The kid was only fourteen, after all. "It is a bit chilly over here. Thank you, Cutter."

Jyllian giggled. "I think he likes you, Miss Forrest."

Her older brother blushed and fled to the linen closet. Hilda patted the six year-old on her head. "Your brother's got good taste, lass. Miss Forrest is a lovely woman, especially with that pregnant-lady glow."

The Turk trainee beamed. She did feel more beautiful, despite her increased weight and the enormous bulge that was once her smooth, flat abs. Her hair had grown thicker, her breasts had gotten larger, and her skin did seem to have a glow to it. She had heard her entire life how pregnancy was the absolute worst thing that could happen to a woman, but she felt great, and it showed.

Or rather, it had since her morning sickness had gone away. That was one aspect of pregnancy she had been more than happy to see leave.

Cutter brought the promised quilt over and helped spread it over her, then chased Jyllian up the stairs when she refused to stop teasing him. Hilda settled herself in the second rocker and poured two cups of hot chocolate, passing one to the green-haired woman with a question.

"I never asked. How old are you, love?"

Akalara sipped at the hot drink and balanced her book on one knee so she could rub at her stomach. "I just turned nineteen a month ago."

The plump midwife nodded sagely. "The birth shouldn't be too difficult, than. It's your first baby, but you're young and strong, with good wide hips. The wee lad or lass should pop right out."

The Turk trainee reached for a cookie. "I hope you're right, Hilda. I hope you're right."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

_The test rested on the counter, unopened. Akalara sat on the toilet, just staring at it. There was no reason for her to need that test._

_So what if she had been having mood swings? Training was very stressful right now, what with their exams coming up. Trainees who failed the test were kicked out of the program; her entire future was riding on her marksmanship, hand-to-hand, stealth, communication, assassination, and observation skills. Of course she was a little snappy!_

_So what if she was getting sick in the mornings or when she smelled certain foods? She had probably picked up a virus somewhere. She just hadn't been able to get over it because training ate up all of her energy._

_So what if her period was late? Stress did weird shit to a woman's body. It wouldn't be the first time she had been late or even skipped a month due to stress. She had been seriously irregular while she was still in the Shade Wolves, her old gang. _

_It was just friggin' stress. _

_There was no way she could be..._

_Sephiroth was _sterile_, for Bahamut's sake!_

_But that niggling little voice in her head just wouldn't go away, kept insisting that stress wasn't the answer to what was happening to her._

_Akalara dug her hands into her hair, gripping the roots as she went back and forth between the need to know and the desire to deny. "Better safe than sorry," she finally decided, forcing herself to get off the porcelain throne and open the box. _

_The test was taken quickly, and left on the sink for the required five minutes. Akalara spent the time trying to convince herself that it was just stress and the test was going to be negative and also wondering why Zack and Sephiroth hadn't returned from Nibelheim yet. It had been almost two weeks since they had left; why weren't they back yet? Why hadn't they heard from them? It didn't make any sense. There was nothing in the sleepy mountain village that they couldn't handle. _

_The stick beeped. Akalara told herself one more time that there was no possible way it could be positive, and swiftly crossed the room to pick up the test. _

_Double lines._

_Akalara had to grab the sink to keep from simply collapsing to the floor. "I'm pregnant?" she breathed, staring at the test. There was no denying it; there were two lines in the window. "Oh god..."_

_There was only one man she had been with in the past two months. As impossible as it seemed, he had to be the father. Hojo must have been wrong about Sephiroth's sterility; if the silver-haired man hadn't been capable of siring children, as that lab report had claimed, there would only be one line in that window. _

_Perhaps the test was wrong? Akalara rechecked the box. Her heart sank when she saw tht this test was 98 percent accurate. Practically no chance of a misread._

_Pregnant. But at least she knew who the father was, so no confusion about that._

_Sephiroth was the father..._

_Sudden elation filled her, and she grinned. She was pregnant! With Sephiroth's baby! She was going to be a mother! _

_Akalara felt like a giddy little girl. This baby could lead to a stable life for her, at long last. Sephiroth would want to be involved in his son or daughter's life, to prevent him or her from going through the same things he had. He might even ask her to marry him, so he could protect the baby at all times. _

_A baby. Sephiroth. Marriage. _Stability.

_Akalara laughed. The very thing most women feared could lead to the fulfillment of her most cherished dream, at long last!_

_She pocketed the test and threw away the box, leaving the bathroom with a song in her heart and a light in her eye. No more change. No more upheaval. For the first time in her life, her future was no longer in doubt, even if she didn't get into the Turks._

_As she passed the locker rooms, Reno exited the men's, looking pale and about ready to cry. When he saw the green-haired trainee, he immediately grabbed her in a tight embrace, hiding his face against her hair. _

_Akalara pushed at his chest, alarmed. "Reno? What's wrong?"_

_"They're gone, Ak. They're both dead."_

_"What? Who's dead? What are you talking about?" she demanded, feeling hot tears soaking into her scalp, contradicting the emotionless monotone of his voice._

_"Zack and Seph."_

_She froze. _No...

_"I don't know exactly what happened. But Tseng said their bodies were found near the reactor. They were so badly damaged, they were cremated on the spot. There was no way to revive them. They'd been dead for too long." _

Dead...

No. No!

_Akalara did something she had never, ever done before. She fisted one hand in Reno's jacket and shirt and cried, her free hand pressed tightly to her womb. To the only part of Sephiroth she had left. _

_For one brief, shining moment, she had been truly happy._

_Her happiness had died with the father of her child. _


	3. Out of Dreams Comes Reality

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **Fic's got me in its jaws... Can't..break...free! The way this thing's going, it's probably going to be over in about a week or so. Damn the muses... Anyway, just a little short blip before the main event. That'll be posted... Tommorrow! I just love making you all writhe in tormented anticipation... Just for clarification, the Sexy Kitties are the Gaian equivalent to the Pussycat Dolls. Several of you already know that this is the universal 'stripper song' in my fics; Kandi and Akalara have been dancing to this tune for several months now.

Out of Dreams Comes Reality

The moonlight sheeted across the figure in the bed, casting the upper body into shadow. The illumination fell only on her distended belly and the hand idly stroking over it. Crimson eyes, glowing from the mako coursing through her veins, were fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.

She was two days past her due-date, but the baby had dropped lower in her uterus this morning. Birth couldn't be too far off.

Akalara couldn't wait for it to be over and done with. She just wanted to see her baby, to satisfy her curiosity about what she and Sephiroth had created. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would its hair be green or silver, or even some other color? Would the eyes be polished peridot or water-soaked cranberries? Would it be well-built or petite?

What would it grow up to be? A master swordsman and commander like its father? An expert sharpshooter and demolitions specialist like its mother? Or perhaps a combination of the two, equally adept with both firearms and blades? There was little chance of the baby becoming a peaceful civillian, like a postman or a teacher; there was far too much warrior's blood for it to inherit.

Whatever the baby was, Akalara was going to take care of it. She wasn't going to adopt it out, no way on Gaia could she bring herself to do that! This was her and Seph's baby, their flesh and blood; nobody but her was going to raise it. She owed it to her lover to give their child a good life, and besides, she couldn't risk the baby falling into Hojo's hands.

She would continue her training and raise the baby, at the same time, keeping the child's existence secret from her employers. There had to be a way.

She would find it.

Akalara made herself comfortable and closed her eyes, relaxing into sleep.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

_The music played in the background, the sultry voices of the Sexy Kitties deepening the atmosphere of the room as the women moved. Sephiroth, Reno, and Zack were seated against the back wall, fidgeting and surreptitiously rubbing at their crotches through their pants, watching their 'personal assistants' dance to "Buttons." The two secretaries had Akalara sandwiched between them, and all three were stripping in time to the music. _

_This had become a weekly Thursday night ritual; the girls would dance for their men, and when the men had had enough they would grab their respective lovers and have their wicked ways with them, in full view of the others. Friday nights were always wild, and Thursdays were a preview of the coming events. _

_So far, the girls were grinding against each other in only their bras and panties, their hands wandering freely over each other. The men couldn't last much longer. They never did. _

_"Come on, get over here." Reno beckoned to Lily. "I love your bellydancing, but I prefer you doing it with my cock inside you." _

_"You want it? Come get it." The brown-haired woman shimmied her hips and popped her chest, pressing momentarily against Akalara's breasts. _

_Three jaws dropped, especially when Kandi unhooked the trainee's bra, sliding it forward until it was completely separate from her body before turning her attention upon her own._

_Within minutes, all three bras had hit the ground and all three men were on their feet._

_Sephiroth pulled Akalara out of her human sandwich, then took her over to the wall and pinned her, already feasting on her luscious breasts. Zack pushed Kandi down on Reno's desk and spread her legs, licking at her through the silky fabric of her thong. Reno took Lily down to the floor, getting a bellydance/lap-dance from the sly beauty as he kissed her. _

_Akalara looked over at Kandi and the two winked. Tonight was going to be even more wild than usual..._

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Akalara was torn from her sexy memory/dream by a wave of unexpected pain. She lay in bed, confused, a hand resting on her distended abdomen. _Was that...?_

The trainee waited for about ten minutes, but nothing happened. She closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep, to her naughty dream.

Sudden agony ripped through her body, strong enough to make her throw her head back and scream through tightly-clenched teeth. Then it was gone again, and Akalara sat up, staring at her belly. Wondering if it was just a false alarm.

This time, she actually _saw_ her uterus contract a split-second before the burning pain washed through her once more.

It wasn't her imagination.

_"HILDA!" _she screamed, convulsing as the next contraction slammed into her.


	4. Secrets and a New Life

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **Mystic once asked me what the side-effects of mako on a woman might be, if men get a woody that lasts an ungodly amount of time. Well, I shall answer your question now. Women get more sensitive in the chest and groin area for an ungodly amount of time. However, there are also long-term side effects that kick in later on, from the very first injection. I shall reveal those later on in the chapter. And Turks, I suspect, get mako treatments as well. They may not get as much in one dose as SOLDIERs do, but they probably still get injected. I mean, look at Reno and Rude in Advent Children. Is it just me, or does it look like they've got a SOLDIER shine to their eyes, too? Shinra would probably have their Turks and trainees get injections, just to increase speed and strength, to make them better assassins and bodyguards. Which means that the next-gen Turks, like Akalara and Kandi, got injected too, while they were still in training and before Meteorfall put an end to mako-power. The supported squatting position is a real childbirth position, pretty popular with natural births. It's actually better for both mother and baby to be born from this position, especially if it's a breech birth, as opposed to the mother lying flat on her back. Do some research if you don't believe me!

Secrets and a New Life

Hilda and Abbie arrived on the scene minutes after Akalara's water broke. The midwife took one look at the sweating, trembling woman and went into action.

"Abbie, get her off the bed."

"What? Why?" the younger woman asked, confused.

"Because it's better for both mother and baby to be in an upright position when the moment arrives," she briskly explained, whipping the woolen afghan off the foot of the bed and spreading it out on the floor.

"What...do you mean?" Akalara gasped, fighting pain as the innkeeper's wife helped her up.

"We're going to let gravity help out with this birth, love. It's your first baby, so that'll make it go faster." The plump woman gestured to the afghan. "Lay down and let's see how far along you are."

Akalara obediently reclined, tears springing to her eyes as her uterus contracted once more. Hilda shoved her nightdress up, snapped on a latex glove, and performed a pelvic examination. Her black eyes widened as her fingers probed at her patient's cervix. "Sweet Leviathan! You're already dilated to five centimeters, love!"

"Mako." Akalara flashed her a pained grin, which quickly morphed into a grimace when the next contraction hit. "Helps with stamina in men, increases birthing speed in women."

"Plus you've probably been in labor for a few hours while you slept, love." HIlda rolled up her sleeves. "Right, let's not dilly-dally, then. Abbie, get some clean, warm water and a baby basin, plus some fresh linens. Then get your husband in here; we're going to need his strength."

Akalara soon fell into a zen-like trance, a natural defense against the pain wracking her body. She was vaguely aware of Hilda and Abbie doing things to her, around her, and Jack coming in to sit in the window-sill, but it was almost as if this was somebody else's body, or a movie. Not happening to her.

She heard Hilda command Jack to "grab her under her arms and hold her hands," and understood that she was now squatting, her legs spread wide, nightshirt bunched around her waist.

Then pain tore through her again, and she screamed.

A hand, blessedly cool, pressed against her brow. "It's all right, Miss. Just a little longer. Hilda can see the head."

Akalara groaned. _Not all right. Too big. Hurts. Must..._

_Get it out. _

_Get it out!_

_GET IT OUT!!!_

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!" she screamed, bearing down with all her strength, clutching Jack's hands until the bones shattered and his cry joined her own. Pain, blinding in its intensity, burned across her body and mind one more time...

And suddenly she felt the slippery release of something leaving her body, the rush of residual fluids, and the shocking lack of pain as elation filled her. The green-haired woman looked down to see a squalling, tightly-curled newborn in Hilda's hands, the reddened skin splotchy with amniotic fluid. _Is that mine?_

_Mine..._

_My baby! That's my baby!_

"Gimme!" she demanded, letting go of the innkeeper's crushed hands to reach imploringly for her baby. She was lowered to the ground and the screaming newborn placed in her arms, mother and child still connected by the uncut umbillical cord.

"A healthy baby boy," Hilda informed her with a smile. "Nothing's missing, love," she reassured as Akalara began inspecting him. "Everything's in its proper place."

"He's perfect," the new mother breathed, gently caressing the baby's cheek.

Abbie brought the basin of warm water over to her. "Here. He needs a bath."

"And we're still not finished with you, love," the midwife declared as Akalara laid her son in the bath. "You've still got a placenta to deliver."

The new mother absently nodded, enthralled with her son as his arms and legs unfolded in the water.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hilda quietly left the room, shutting the door soundlessly behind her. Akalara was resting in exhausted slumber, her infant son cradled beside her in the bed. It had not been a complicated birth; no unexpected bleeding, no tearing, no hemorraghing, no fetal or maternal distress. Just a normal birth. The only casualty of the event had been the innkeeper's hands, and those had been fixed with a Restore materia. Hilda was the only one still awake.

There was just enough time to report to her superior.

Stepping into the room assigned to her name, the midwife locked the door behind her and palmed something in the pocket of her skirt. A second later, the plump, friendly visage of Hilda Ravensgaard melted away, replaced by a tall, handsome Wutaian man with long black hair in a dark blue suit.

Tseng sighed and went to his suitcase, pulling out a radio. Time to report to both his superior and the person who had told him to tail Akalara in the first place.

The headphones were put on and the dial of the radio tuned until he had the lab's frequency, at which point he tapped out a particular message on the Morse code transmitter, asking if it was safe to use vocals rather than the transmitter. The reply came about three minutes later, and Tseng plugged in the microphone. He didn't like using this outdated equipment, but it did have one benefit over the new stuff; since most people had upgraded, there was less chance of the message being intercepted. And this was a matter of utmost secrecy.

"Professor? Are you alone?" he questioned.

"Of course I'm alone, you idiotic moron!" Tseng had to turn the volume down slightly when his correspondent's voice screeched over the radio. "Now, tell me; were my suspicions correct?"

"Yes, Professor, they were correct. The baby did have silver hair. As far as visuals can confirm, it was sired by Sephiroth."

"Excellent!" Hojo cackled. "I shall prepare a team of specialists to come for the both of them immediately."

"There is no need to bestir yourself, Professor," Tseng lied smoothly. "The baby was stillborn, and I suspect the mother's uterus was damaged soon after it died. There was a greenish discharge when the birth occured; it is entirely probable that she is useless for your experiment."

There was silence on the other end of the radio. "Stillborn."

"Affirmative."

"How far was the decomposition?"

"It resembled a water-logged mummy, Professor."

There was an indistinguishable noise of disgust and frustration from the scientist. "I still want the corpse, for dissection. It will be interesting to see how Sephiroth and Jenova's DNA reacted and changed when combined with human DNA, as well as informative. By studying this specimen, I can retrieve the data necessary to recreate the conditions that led to its conception, and perhaps recreate them in another female. Get me that corpse!"

Tseng had already prepared the appropriate lie. "The mother has requested that the baby be cremated, and the ashes scattered to the wind. The cadaver has already been taken away by the innkeeper for disposal."

"They'll not cremate it without the mother there to bear witness. Steal it before then."

"On the contrary. The mother suffered physical trauma during the birth; only a Restore materia saved her life. She is too weak to leave her bed, and so the innkeeper and his wife will bear witness to the cremation. The ashes will be given to her once the ceremony is complete, that she may do as she wishes with them. In fact, I see smoke outside the window right now."

"Gaaaaahhhh!!!" He had to turn the radio down even further, so as not to alert the other residents of the inn. "You stupid Turk! You imbecile! You moronic, lobotomized excuse for a human being! Do you realize what your idiocy might have just cost us?"

"My sincerest apologies, Professor," Tseng humbly replied, smirking. "Shall I retrieve some ashes for you? For analysis?"

"No. Ashes are useless." Hojo made another disgusted sound. "I will be reporting this to your superior, idiot. He will be most displeased to note your incompetence."

The radio clicked off, leaving Tseng with a tiny amount of static. He rolled his eyes and scrolled further down the channels, finding another frequency within minutes. Another radio picked up the signal, and soon a familiar voice came through the speakers. "Report."

"Trainee Akalara has given birth. The baby is, as far as visual analysis can reveal, Sephiroth's."

"It is alive?"

"Yes. Alive and healthy. Akalara is also in fine health."

"What did you tell Hojo?"

"I told him that the baby was stillborn, the mother great physical trauma during the birth, and asked that the child be cremated. As far as he knows, she will never be able to conceive again."

"Thus he has lost interest in her as a subject for his experiments." Verdot paused for a moment. "This is to our benefit. It will give Akalara a period of two months, minimum, with her child before she must return to Shinra. Does she still wish to raise the child herself and continue her training?"

"She does."

"Get closer to her. Convince her that it would be better if someone else, someone she trusted and who is not connected to Shinra, raises her child. If she remains on this course of action, it is only a matter of time before Hojo gets suspicious."

"Understood. Mission received and acknowledged."

"Protect her, Tseng. She is not thinking clearly at the moment."

"Understood."

"Very good. Verdot out."

The radio clicked off and Tseng turned off his own, removing the headphones and packing the equipment away. That done, he strolled over to the window and looked out over the snowy hills, lost in thought.

Akalara had done very well in concealing her pregnancy. But she had not done the same for her physical relationship with Sephiroth. It was very obvious to anybody who knew them that they were lovers, and despite Hojo's insistence that the general was sterile, Tseng and Verdot had been keeping a sharp eye on the green-haired trainee, suspecting that such was not the case.

When he had discovered that Akalara was getting nauseated at random times throughout the day, he had gone through her locker, hoping to find her day-planner. Careful observation had revealed that she kept a precise record of her periods, marking them on the calender right alongside her training regime and meetings. The day-planner had been absent that particular day, but Tseng had found something better.

A positive pregnancy test.

He had told Verdot about the discovery, and they had both concluded that sooner or later she would come to the Turk superior, asking for leave. Akalara was not stupid; she would know that it would be most unwise to let anybody in Midgar know of her pregnancy, considering who she had been sleeping with over the previous five months. When she had come to him, he had granted her the leave without much question, accepting her excuse without batting an eye. They had hoped they were the only ones to know of her condition...

But they had not been so lucky in that regard. Hojo had approached Tseng soon after Akalara's departure with a mission. He had recently finished analyzing the monthly drug tests SOLDIER cadets and Turk trainees were forced to undergo, and as usual for every second month he had tested the urine of each female in both programs for pregnancy hormones.

The twisted scientist had discovered Akalara's pregnancy, and knew immediately who the parent must be; he had seen Sephiroth with the green-haired woman as often as anybody else. Hojo had told Tseng to go after Akalara and, somehow, get the baby from her when she gave birth. He wanted the child for experimental purposes, and he also wanted to know how Akalara could possibly have conceived and carried a child when there was no possible way for her to have done so. It was a scientific impossibility, and he was determined to find out how she had done it.

Tseng had accepted the mission, but gone to Verdot with it. They had come up with this solution: Tseng would pose as a midwife (he had been studying the art in secret ever since he had gotten here), and help Akalara deliver the baby. Then, he would tell Hojo the baby was dead and Akalara incapable of ever getting pregnant again.

Even though she was in training, Akalara would one day be a Turk. And Turks protected their own.

If Tseng and his boss could help it, neither she nor the baby would end up in Hojo's labs. They would do everything they could to keep that from happening. But they also had to prevent Akalara from finding out that they knew; she was a most promising trainee, and they didn't want her to withdraw from the program (she wasn't yet at the level where, if she failed the training or decided she wanted out, they would have to kill her) and flee Midgar. They had to keep tabs on her and the baby, and the easiest way to do that was to keep her from learning about their involvement.

To protect her, they had to protect the secret and keep her oblivious.

Tseng stretched and pulled two orbs out of his pocket, a green Restore materia and one other.

A yellow Disguise materia.

Within moments, he was Hilda once more, bustling about the room and preparing for bed.

He had work to do in the morning.


	5. Bonding

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor:** FLASH: this song is also not registered under my name. For some reason, when I was thinking of a song she might use as a lullaby, this one just came to mind. I already used it once in "The End of My Life As I Know It" but it applies here as well, methinks. Don't criticize; I just like Phil Collins!

Bonding

_Come stop your crying, it will be all right  
Just take my hand, hold it tight  
I will protect you from all around you  
I will be here don't you cry_

Akalara sang the lullaby quietly, rocking gently in her chair as her son nursed. This song had brought her comfort when she was little and all alone; after her parents had thrown her out, she had heard the song and followed it to a run-down little store. A television had been playing a cartoon movie, and one of the characters had been singing this. It had made her stop crying and feel better, and ever since, whenever she was feeling alone or sad, she would hum the tune or sing it to herself and feel better.

Now she was singing to her son, and it had the same effect on him that it always had on her.

_For one so small, you seem so strong  
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us can't be broken  
I will be here don't you cry_

Akalara only had a mediocre singing voice, but there was no need to hide it now. She was the only person here at the moment, apart from Azrael.

She softly stroked his hair while he suckled, marveling at how much like his father he looked. Azrael had the same thin face and pale skin, the same long eyelashes and kissable lips. He even had Sephiroth's hair, right down to the white strands intermingling with the silver. But he didn't have his father's peridot eyes; when Azrael opened his eyes, they were the same cranberry red orbs sported by his mother.

The girls were going to be all over him when he got older. Hell, they already _were_; Abbie, Hilda, Jyllian, and Abbie's eldest daughter Varia all agreed that he was the most adorable baby they had ever seen. Akalara had to practically fight to hold her own son, so smitten were they with him.

Not that she blamed them. Azrael was an extremely, for lack of a better word, beautiful little boy.

"That's a pretty tune, love. What do you call it?" She looked up to see Hilda coming into the bedroom, carrying the familiar silver teapot and cookies on a tray.

"I don't know. It's just a song I heard somewhere," she said vaguely. Akalara was not comfortable with telling people about her childhood and adolescence, not unless she knew them very, _very _well. Sephiroth had teased the story out of her, but so far he was the only one she had told.

"Well, it's a lovely song," the plump midwife replied, setting the tray down on the nightstand. "And how is young Master Azrael this evening?"

"Quiet, for once." It was a welcome respite; he had been a very demanding infant over the past two weeks. Azrael could be very sweet, and usually was, but his father's stubborn, demanding streak had carried over into his son, it seemed. Akalara didn't mind. She was more than used to dealing with Sephiroth, so Azrael wasn't much of a challenge. "Thank you for the chocolate, Hilda."

"It's no trouble, love." Hilda sat on the bed and reached for a cup, sipping daintily at the hot liquid. "What are you planning on doing when you leave the inn?"

"I'm going to return to my job." She had been careful to make sure nobody knew she was in any way connected with the Turks, claiming that she was a simple office worker whenever anybody asked what she did in Midgar.

"And raise your baby at the same time?"

"Of course." Akalara gently pulled Azrael off her breast, raising him to her shoulder to pat his back. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering if it might be better if you let somebody else raise him, considering who he looks like."

The green-haired trainee felt panic welling inside her. "What do you mean?" she inquired, fighting to keep the unwelcome emotion out of her voice.

"Well, the young lad looks so much like the General, people'll get to wondering, that's all." Hilda nibbled on a cookie.

"You mean General Sephiroth?"

"The very same, love." Hilda pointed at the young mother. "Now, you told me you came from Midgar. People are going to wonder who his father is, especially with the silver hair. Who is the father, anyway?"

"Nobody as famous or recognizable as that." Akalara wanted to scream. Hilda was right; if she tried to raise Azrael herself, somebody was bound to notice the resemblence sooner or later. And that would lead to the higher-ups finding out. Which would mean Hojo would get his hands on her son. "So what? You think I should give him to somebody else? Adopt out my own son?" Her arms tightened slightly, protectively, around him.

"Nothing that drastic, love. Just let him stay with somebody else during the days. A babysitter or daycare, for example. Just don't take him to work with you, that's all. You work with Shinra, do you not?"

"Yes. I'm one of the paperpushers." The trainee rubbed her son's back, thinking. "Hilda, could I be alone, please? I have some calls to make."

"Of course, love. Call me if you need me."

Once the door had shut behind her, Akalara laid Azrael down on the bed, letting him curl his fingers around one of her own while she pulled her PHS out of her dufflebag, scrolling through the listed numbers until she found one for a friend she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Monica? Yeah, this is Akalara. I know it's been awhile. I've been a little busy with my new job, that's all. Yeah, the one I after I left the Black Cat. You're still working there? Still hate it? Well, I have a business proposal for you, Mon..."_  
_


	6. Night Terrors

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor:** More angst. There will be one more chapter of this, and then we get to the sweet chapters. Just bear with me, ok?

Night Terrors

_She fought against their grasping hands, writhing and twisting madly while they strapped her down on a cold metal surface. She had no idea where she was; all she knew was that she was naked, there was a bright light shining upon her from somewhere above, and outside the light was only darkness. She couldn't see a damn thing._

_Except the hands. Pale and gnarled, ending in jagged claws, they forced her down and restrained her limbs, the filthy tips leaving long red scratches on her milky flesh. Needles and other assorted sharp objects poked and prodded at her, sending foreign substances through her veins and stealing samples away from her body. All the while, her ears were assaulted by a familiar screeching cackle, and the murmur of voices saying indecipherable things. All hidden behind the veil of a baby's ceaseless wail._

_She screamed at her captors to let her go, demanding to know where her son was. In response to her pleas, the hidden owners of the hands parted, and the table tilted upright, allowing her to see a brightly-illuminated spot far away in the surrounding darkness._

_A denial pierced the air when she registered what was being shown to her. _

_Her tiny son, strapped down much as she was. Needles and tubes stealing his blood and replacing it with an alien, glowing substance of an ominous purple hue. Cuts and incisions all over his body. His mouth open wide in a never-ending cry of pain and fear. _

_She fought wildly, the desire to rescue and protect her son filling her mind until it was all that she knew. She had to get him out! She would rip away those tubes and cables and kill anybody who tried to stop her!_

_The bonds were too strong. She was unable to do more than jiggle them uselessly, no matter how hard she tried. _

_Just as the faceless captors closed in around her, terrible objects glittering in their hands, she saw a new person step into the light, cackling insanely over her terrified, helpless son._

_Hojo!_

_He raised a monstrous needle and she shrieked a denial as the madman's arm fell downward, the instrument's drooling tip aimed directly at her son's neck._

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"_No!_"

Akalara jacknifed upright, arms outstretched in an attempt to stop the Wutaian scientist from destroying her son. Gradually, she realized that she was in her bed in the inn, not a darkened labratory at some unknown location. Hojo was miles away, along with any threat to herself and her son.

They were safe.

But not at peace. Her scream had awoken her son, and he was crying in the bed beside her, having slid down next to her hip when she had jerked awake.

The nightmare had terrified her, and she in turn had frightened her child.

Still trying to calm her racing heart, Akalara gathered Azrael into her arms to gently rock him, singing the now-familiar lullaby in a shaky voice, soothing herself as much as her son. It took a few minutes, but at last her voice grew stronger and her heartbeat slowed as she calmed down. Azrael, feeling his mother relax, stopped crying, his wails softening into pathetic whimpers.

"I'm sorry, Azrael," the green-haired woman apologized, smoothing his tears away with her thumb. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

He hiccupped and turned towards her, making the pleading noise she had come to associate with his hunger. Akalara pulled down her nightdress so her left breast was exposed and guided him to it, grabbing a pillow and settling it across her knees to support him while he fed.

This was not the first nightmare. She had been suffering them more and more of late, as her leave came to a close. She had had two blissful months with her son, but her gil was starting to run out. She had to go back to Shinra soon, resume her training and her in-company job.

Give up her son to another woman.

It was for his own protection, she reminded herself. Only by denying herself contact with him could she make certain that Hojo never learned of him. It wasn't going to be easy, pretending she didn't have a son. But she had no choice.

Her gaze drifted towards the bottle of black dye sitting on the dresser, and the fingers of her right hand gently combed through her son's beautiful silver hair.

Come tommorrow, he would no longer sport his father's hair. She didn't want to do it, wished there was no need to do it, but the silver hue was far too recognizable. Unless you counted all his fanatical admirers and punks with dyed hair, Sephiroth had been the only person in Midgar with hair that color. Any child with a mane of silver would immediately be suspect.

Akalara sighed, trying not to think of the morrow. She was leaving the village in the morning, returning to Midgar.

Giving up her son into the care of an old friend, and pretending that she had left out of grief rather than pregnancy.

Nobody could ever learn of this. Not Hojo. Not Verdot. Not President Shinra. Not even her best friends, Kandi, Lily, and Reno.

The door opened slightly, and a sleepy Hilda poked her head in. "Is everything all right, love? I thought I heard you and the wee lad screaming."

Akalara nodded, willing herself not to cry. "Everything's fine. Hilda. Just fine."


	7. Going Back

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **Since Amazon asked so nicely, I suppose I am obliged to comply. Here's an update for you, and there's more to come after this. Just a refresher: Akalara moved up to the plate from the Sector 5 slums when she was fifteen, worked as a stripper until she was eighteen, and was Sephiroth's girlfriend/bedwarmer/fuck-buddy/whatever-the-hell for about five months after that. Then she spent two months after they got word about Nibelheim stuck in zombie-mode after finding out that A) she was pregnant and B) her baby's father was dead. Seven months preggers and in hiding at Icesicle Inn, followed by two months with her newborn son. Got it? Good. And if there are any strippers out there reading this, I mean no offense! This is one OC's opinion of her line of work, not mine!

Going Back

Driving into this section of Sector Three brought back memories both good and bad. Although on top of the plate, it was still not a clean neighborhood. She had heard it referred to as 'Slut's Alley' and 'Bum's Hideout' before, and she had to admit that the nicknames were not far from the truth. This was the well-to-do slums, the dark spot in the sunlight. People who had moved out of the slums but didn't have enough gil to live in better areas lived here. People who had nowhere else to go, but didn't want to live in the mako-lit darkness below the plate anymore. People like her, four years and four months ago.

Akalara had once called this neighborhood home. When she had first moved up to the plate and worked at the Black Cat, she had lived here. Not in one of the ratty apartments, no; she had slept on the streets, or in homeless shelters if she was lucky. Even with the pay recieved from stripping and topless dancing, and the tips appreciative men threw at her or tucked into her G-string, she hadn't been able to afford a regular place to stay. Three years she had lived that life, a goddess by night and a slum-bitch during the day, with no real future or even hope for one.

What a difference five months had made. Now she had a nice apartment in Sector One, a promising future as a Turk, and a good paycheck as a Shinra errand-girl. She had Sephiroth to thank for that; he had taken her out of the Black Cat, out of Slut Alley, and helped her attain a better life. Most of the people who lived here didn't have that chance, and probably never would.

Sitting in her car with the engine running, it seemed to the green-haired trainee that the story was coming full-circle. She had hired someone to fulfill a need in her life, and would be paying that person regularly so that same need would continue to find fulfillment. It was not the same situation as that which had prompted Sephiroth to get her involved with Shinra and the Turks, but the parallels were still there. Her gil would help someone get out of this life and find something better, eventually.

Akalara sighed and switched off the engine, her gaze going to the carseat in the back. Azrael was awake, kicking his feet and playing with his fingers, gurgling happily. He had been quiet throughout most of the trip, sleeping through the Ephemeral cd his mother had been softly playing on the radio.

He hadn't been too traumatized by the blackening of his moonlight hair. He had squawked about it at first, but he had quickly gotten used to it. It was very difficult to associate him with Sephiroth now, based on appearance alone. It was as clear as day to her, but it wouldn't be to anybody who didn't know who his father was. She would have to stay on top of the silver roots, but other than that he was safe.

The green-haired trainee got out of the car and unhooked the carrier from the backseat, taking Azrael out, locking the doors, and setting the security system with a heavy heart.

The moon shouldn't be out, the smog-shrouded stars should be hidden from her gaze. Her mood, this entire situation, was better suited for rain.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Apartment 407. She had spent enough time crashing in this place to have memorized the way to it from the Black Cat. Monica, the owner of this cheap domicile, hadn't been one of her dancing partners, but they had known each other and gotten along pretty easily. When it was raining and the shelters were full, she would let Akalara stay at her place during the day, to sleep in relative safety.

It had been more than a year since last she had come here. Now Akalara banged on the door, wondering how much her old friend had changed, if at all. More than likely, she was being looked at right now, through the secret peephole beside the middle set of hinges.

In this neighborhood, you couldn't be too careful.

The door swung open after a few minutes, and a tall woman with honey-colored tresses stood there, sucking on a plastic pop bottle filled with water. She grinned when she saw the shorter woman. "Long time no see, Ak."

"Missed you, Mon." The women embraced, and the blond glanced down at the baby carrier.

"This is your kid? He's adorable!" She squatted down to get a better look at him. "Any idea who the father is?"

Akalara shook her head. "No."

"Must've been a real looker. Most of these features aren't yours." Monica got up and let the shorter woman into her apartment. "How's your job?" she inquired, locking the door with the standard flip-lock, three chain-locks, and a deadbolt.

"It's cool. I get to run up and down stairs all day, carrying huge-ass piles of papers." She wasn't about to tell her that she was also training to be a Turk. "How's life at the Cat?"

"A wild, crazy merry-go-round of bright lights, bad music, skin, and catcalls." Monica shrugged. "I'm one of the most popular girls, but it's still a pretty shitty existence, being ogled every night like that. I hate feeling like I'm just a piece of meat."

Time to get down to business. "You realize I can't give you my entire paycheck, right?"

"I know. I didn't expect you to." The blond nodded to a set of worn free-weights and dumbells on the floor. "I've been supplimenting my income as a fitness instructor in Sector Four. Nobody there really knows what I do by night, and the pay's decent. I can afford to feed and clothe a kid."

"You always were a health-nut." Akalara took Azrael out of his carrier and let him grasp her free index finger, continuing to talk business as he sucked on it. "I can pay you 250 gil per month. More when I get a raise."

"250? Shit, with that much I can afford to work the Cat only on weekends and Co-Ed night!" Monica raised her recycled bottle in a toast. "My friend, you've got yourself a deal."

Akalara nodded. "His name is Azrael. He's two months old. I've been accumulating him to formula, but I'll still breastfeed him when I visit for a few months. He normally sleeps around..."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The women talked well into the night, until at last it was time to say good-bye. Akalara settled her son into the crib Monica had purchased at a secondhand furniture shop and sang him to sleep, stroking his hair and cheek until he nodded off. Before she left, Monica hugged her one more time.

"I'll take good care of him, Ak. Don't worry," she whispered.

The green-haired woman nodded and left, fighting the urge to cry as she went down the stairs. She succeeded until she reached the second floor of the building and sadness overwhelmed her. Praying that nobody would see her, she sat on the stairs and hid her face in her hands, weeping silently.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The next day saw her re-entering the Shinra building and informing Verdot that her leave was over. He signed her back into the 'Active' trainee database, sternly informing her that she had a lot of catching-up to do. Akalara merely nodded and went next to see her manager. He was none-too-pleased that she had been gone for so long, and let her know in no uncertain terms his feelings on the matter. But he put her back on the payroll fast enough, immediately shoving a stack of documents at her and telling her to go deliver them to Such-and-Such on the 38th floor.

The monotony of her work was a welcome respite. As long as she was working, she couldn't think. That in itself was a blessing; the last thing she needed or wanted was to break down in front of so many people.

She was heading back up to the asshole's office to clock out, as she usually did before hitting the locker room and changing into her trainee uniform, when she was suddenly ambushed.

"Where...the _fuck_...have you been?"

She closed her eyes, knowing this was going to happen sooner or later, and turned around to face her dearest remaining friend.

Kandi stood behind her in the doorway to the IT department, arms crossed and an angry scowl adorning her pretty face. The red-streaked brunette had filled out a little during Akalara's absence, but the added flesh was in all the right areas, making her seem even sexier to the male species. Other than that, she was still the same Kandi.

"I was away on leave," the green-haired woman replied, her voice even.

"You didn't want to stay with us?"

"I had to get away from the memories for a while."

Kandi furrowed her brow further, and Akalara thought for sure the other woman was going to hit her. But suddenly she found herself gasping for breath as the brunette threw her arms around her in a fierce hug.

"I really missed you, Green Bitch. I really needed you."

It was such a temptation to just spill the beans here and now. Kandi would understand, and she would keep it a secret. She never ratted out her friends. Hojo would never find out if she told just one person, right?

Right?

Ignoring the devil on her shoulder with great effort, Akalara merely put her arms around her friend and held her close. "I'm sorry. I just...couldn't stay here."

"None of us handled it well. I think I was drunk for about four months straight. Reno, too." Kandi sniffled sadly. "Lily and Christine just got really depressed. Valerie left the company when she found out. Dunno what happened to her."

"Felisha?"

"Drowned her sorrows in another man."

"Always was a nympho bitch." Akalara pried the ex-Honeybee off her and took a step back. "Didn't have to go to AA, did you?"

"No. Re and I got through it together. Though it was really tough when we had to clean out Za...their offices." She bit her lip. "It's funny. It still hurts to think about them, even though it's been almost a year."

"I know. I don't think it'll ever truly stop hurting." The trainee forced herself to keep from crying. She couldn't show weakness, not even in front of her closest friend. "They had too big an impact on our lives."

"Yeah."

The two women stood silently for a long moment, then Kandi spoke again. "So, I'm the head of the IT department now."

"Really? Congrats. I'm still a lowly errand-girl."

"But you're still a trainee, right?" Kandi's brown eyes looked mischeivious, as if she were hiding something.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because now you can help me out with training!"

"Whoa! You joined the program?"

Kandi nodded, flashing her usual grin. "Reno, Rude, and Tseng convinced me to do it. Said it would help get my mind off...stuff. So I joined! You headed down to the locker room?"

"As soon as I clock out."

"Cool. Reno's in charge of training tonight; he'll be so happy to see you!" Kandi slung her arm around the shorter woman's shoulders companionably. "We've all missed you, Bitch."

Akalara sighed and forced a smile, determined not to let her friends know the real reason behind her departure. "And I missed you all."

"I would hope so!" Kandi stopped and turned her around to face her, confusion filling her eyes. "Ak, is it just me, or do your boobs look a little bigger than usual?"


	8. Together

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1. Don't own the song mentioned herein, either. It is sung by, and thus belongs to, Kylie Minogue.

**Queen's Quornor: **Major shift in time here. This chapter and the following one take place after AmazonTurk's "Discovery" fic. Well...sort of. This chapter begins the day after Tseng told Akalara she didn't have to hide her son anymore, and ends two days after she spills the beans to her coworkers at Kandi's new apartment. Also, you may have noticed that this fic has gotten a title change. No longer is it "Protect Their Own;" reason is, quite simply, it evolved in a separate direction from what I had anticipated when I originally came up with it. The dog is from my "Evidence of Sephiroth's Humanity" fic; Seph gives away the puppies before Nibelheim, and Akalara got Zexion. The Turk Handcode was something I came up with in the aforementioned fic; think of a simplified cross between American Sign Language and military handcodes. It would mainly be used between partners when they can't or don't want to speak verbally. A lot of the talk later on refers to my "Evidence" fic and a few others. The Deaf Cheetahs are the Gaian equivalent to Def Leppard. Frankly, I think I prefer our original. They're hotter!

Together

_Eight years later..._

Perhaps it was just her. But the sun seemed to be shining especially bright today in Edge.

Akalara couldn't stop grinning. She wanted to sing, she wanted to dance. She wanted to announce her happiness to the entire world. It was a Thursday, but she was on her way to the Beautiful Bodies fitness club. Normally, she only came here on the weekends, to pick up her son or drop him off.

Today was different.

She didn't have to hide Azrael anymore.

With the Turks watching out for him, he would be three times as safe as he was living with Monica, in obscurity. Hojo was dead twice over, and Rufus wanted nothing to do with that type of scientific experimentation, anyway. Nobody wanted another JENOVA incident, and the best way to avoid that was to make it clear who Azrael's mother truly was.

Akalara had already called Monica, and agreed to meet her at the club. Azrael would be there after school, as usual, and Monica had already packed his things and brought them downstairs to her club. He was ready to go, ready to move into his mother's apartment on the other side of town.

Well... Sort of. She and Azrael were crashing at Revan's place until the paint in her son's new room dried.

The sound of Alae Minorian's "Can't Get You Outta My Head" greeted her as she entered the club, heading for her friend's normal fitness studio. Monica had pioneered a new fitness regime shortly after Meteorfall, combining the art of the stripper with normal aerobics, strip-pole optional. It was a very popular exercize right now, and from the sound of it a class was currently in session. The green-haired woman smirked and pushed open the appropriate door, certain of what she was about to see.

Monica was on her pole in the front of the room, leading a crowd of women in the exercizes. Azrael was off to the side of the room, dancing to the music by himself. "Mom!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. The red-eyed boy ran to hug her, throwing his arms about her neck when she knelt down to return the embrace.

"Hey, sweetheart. Missed you."

"Missed you too, Mom."

The half-clad blond reached over and switched off the music when she saw her friend come in. "All right, ladies! Ten minute break!" she called, clapping her hands once. As the women got off their poles and began chatting and toweling off, Monica came over to hug the shorter woman. "Hey, Ak. Come to pick up my little helper?"

"You betcha. Where are his bags?" the Turk inquired, taking her son's hand in her own.

"They're in the stairwell to my rooms. The doorway's unlocked, so you can get in easily. Need somebody to help you carry them?"

"No, I think we can manage them by ourselves." She passed her an envelope with a check for five thousand gil in it. "Thanks for taking care of him all these years, Mon."

"No prob. It's been fun. Maybe I'll get myself a little brat like him." Monica grinned and turned to the relaxing women. "Ladies, I have an announcement! You all know my little mascot, Azrael?" There was a rush of murmurs from the crowd. "After today, he is no longer my mascot. Say your good-byes, and give him a big hand for all the help he's given us over the years!"

Azrael blushed as the crowd of half-clad women clapped and called out their farewells. Akalara almost expected him to hide behind her, but he did not. He merely lowered his eyes, a shy smile playing about his lips. His hand tightened on hers.

The green-haired Turk grinned. "Thanks, Mon. Now, I've got to get this kid home. See ya later."

"See ya."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Wow! This is my room?"

"Yep. All yours." Akalara leaned against the door to the spare room in her apartment, watching her son explore. This had been her office/drunk buddy crashpad/guest room; now she had converted into Azrael's bedroom. Monica had already sent his furtniture over, and she had spent all of yesterday afternoon setting it up. Her son had much the same taste as his father in terms of decor; the bed, dresser, comforter, and shelves were all black with silver ornamentation. The accent pieces around the room, however, were a deep, rich sapphire instead of blood-red.

Azrael was fascinated by outer space, and his father. Akalara had never kept the identity of his sire a secret from him, but she had made sure to tell him good and humorous stories about Sephiroth, so he would understand that he was not the monstrous villian the history books currently labelled him as. She had also told him the truth about the general's family tree, after Vincent had revealed the truth and once it became clear what Jenova had done to him.

No way was she letting that monster get its tentacles on her son. Azrael would never be a part of Jenova's machinations; she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he never suffered his father's fate.

To accomodate his interests, Akalara had freely spent her gil. A brand new, state-of-the-art telescope had been placed in front of the window, already pointing at the heavens. The once-bare walls were now lined with posters (Monica had tipped her off that Azrael was a poster-nut) of the stars and planet, satellite images of awe-inspiring celestial phenomenon, and old posters of Sephiroth that she had either bought at the height of his fame for herself or found online. She had also dropped gil on a new Gamestation 3 and the latest games, curious to see if Azrael was as much of a fanatical gamer as his father had been, as well as a three-disc stereo and surround-sound system. A big flatscreen tv had been mounted in the wall opposite the bed. As per request from her son, she had also purchased a twenty-gallon aquarium, and a bunch of tropical fish. The red-eyed boy adored Akalara's dog, Zexion, but he wanted a pet of his own.

Azrael ran over to his mother and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Mom! You're the greatest!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart." She released him, hearing the doorbell ring. "I bet that's our guests. You wanna get the door?"

"Sure. You get the food."

_So much like his father... _The green-haired woman smiled sadly and went to the kitchen, pulling out silverware and plates, stirring, turning down heat, etc. while listening to Azrael scan his hand on the reader and open the door. There were handprint scanners on both sides of the door, but only a select few people could get into her apartment: herself, Azrael, Kandi, Reno, Revan, Brit, and Tseng. The locks activated whenever the door closed, and a hand had to be scanned and approved before it could be opened again. If anybody tried to open it without getting scanned, the twin belt-fed machine guns she had mounted within hidden panels on either side of the door would swing out and commence firing.

_Nobody_ was touching her baby. _Nobody. _

"Hey, Az! Where's Ak?"

Akalara came out to find Kandi, Andria, and Reno in the living room, just milling around. "Hey, guys. Where's everybody else?"

"Revan got sent out somewhere by the Bossman. Brit and Torr got tied up with their bikes and said they'd come next time. Rude got sent out with Rev as backup," Reno reported. "What smells good?"

"Dinner. Plates are on the counter; grab it and growl." Akalara led the way into the kitchen, amused at the way her fellow Turks' jaws dropped when she showed them the selections. "Didn't know I could cook, huh?"

"Noooo..." Kandi was practically drooling as she stared at the feast laid out on the bar. Macaroni with real cheese, juicy slabs of meat, buttered garlic toast, steamed vegetables, a gorgeous cheesecake covered with cherries... "Damn, I should eat over here more often!"

"Bring me with you when you do, Mom!" Andria was staring too.

"Quit staring and dig in!" Reno grabbed a plate and forked some meat. The others followed his lead, and soon they were all feasting in the living room (Akalara didn't have a dining table).

"This is fantastic!" Kandi moaned. "I never would have guessed you were such a good cook."

"Didn't you know how often Seph came over to her apartment? He loved her cooking." Reno smiled and stabbed at his macaroni, twirling some cheese around his fork.

"Dad loved this?" Azrael asked, looking at his mother.

"He stuffed himself whenever he came over." Akalara got a sly look in her cranberry eyes. "He was especially fond of my steamed greens."

Azrael made a face, but after a moment of consideration he got up and went back into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later, bearing a saucer full of the aforementioned dish. As he begrudgingly ate them, Akalara sent her coworkers a message in the Turk Handcode.

_Hates vegetables. Sephiroth hero worship. Loves father. Best way make eat._

Reno snickered. _Tricky bitch. Mean to own son._

_Best way, _Akalara insisted. _Won't eat otherwise. _

_Stuff down throat, _Kandi suggested. _Bribe. Other ways same outcome._

_Best way emulate father!_ the green-haired woman signed stubbornly, popping her thumb up at the end to indicate an exclamation.

_Say what want. Still tricky bitch, _Reno's fingers smugly told her. _Being watched. Kids._

Akalara flipped him off where the kids couldn't see her and returned to her meal.

"Mom, what were you doing?" Andria asked, carefully scraping the cherries off her cheesecake.

"Talking," Kandi replied, biting into a piece of toast.

"What were you saying?"

"We were just commenting on how good the food is."

"That's not what you were talking about," Azrael piped up. "You would have spoken out loud if it was."

"You're right." Kandi grinned. "We were actually discussing your mother's boobs."

The kids gave the red-streaked brunette a Look.

"We were discussing your hair, Az," Reno suddenly said.

Azrael's hand went to his shoulder-length locks. "My hair?"

"Yeah." Akalara touched his hair, displaying the silver roots for the others to see. "They think you look too much like Mr. Valentine's son, not Sephiroth's. They want me to stop dyeing your hair."

"It's 'cause he does!" Kandi declared, picking up on the fabrication with ease. "Your eyes and the dyed hair... He looks like Mini-Vinnie!"

Reno snorted. "You do realize that he'd kill you if he ever heard you call him that, right?"

"Which is why that comment goes no further than this apartment," Kandi smoothly replied.

Azrael leaned against his mother, giving her the biggest, cutest puppy eyes any of them had ever seen. "Can I undye my hair, Mom? Pleeeeaaaase?"

Akalara felt herself melting into her son's pleading gaze, but managed to stave the mushy feeling off by covering his eyes with her hand. "I'd prefer to wait until you're older, but... We _could _undye your hair and tell everyone that you dyed it to be like your hero..."

"Really? Thanks, Mom!" he shouted, throwing his arms around her.

"Heh. Just like his daddy." Reno nudged Kandi playfully. "Remember how touchy Seph always was about his hair?"

"Sure do. He nearly killed you when you threatened to spray that nasty pink dye on it that one time."

"I've got one better." Akalara took a sip of water. "Zack tried to spike up his hair while we were sleeping, once. He managed to get half of it up before Seph woke up. I had _never _heard Blackspike scream like that before. Man called us banshees? He needed to listen to himself if he wanted to hear a real banshee!"

"Was that the day they both called in sick?" Reno inquired.

"Yep. Seph because he was too embarrassed to come out and spent the entire time washing the stuff out of his hair, and Zack because he was hiding from Seph."

"He didn't _hurt _Dad, did he?" Andria asked, leaning against her mother.

"Of course not. Just chased him around and terrorized him on the phone for awhile." Akalara smiled at the little girl. "He never hurt anybody who didn't deserve it."

"Do you have any more stories about Dad?" Azrael asked, climbing into his mother's lap. Akalara didn't mind; she just held him and shifted until they were both comfortable.

"We have plenty, and not just about him. We have more than a few about Zack, too," she told him, smiling at Andria.

"Like the time they gave me a swirly," Reno muttered, playing with his hair. "Or when Blackspike and I walked in on Seph singing and dancing to Deaf Cheetah."

"What about that morning when we woke up to find that somebody had cut the ass out of his pants?" Kandi cackled. "I can still remember the look on his face. Priceless!"

"There was never a dull moment with the two of them," Akalara murmured. "Seph could be really stern and uptight, arrogant and intimidating when he wanted to be. But once you penetrated his cold wall and got close to the man, he could be the coolest person you would ever meet."

"Especially when Zack was around," Kandi put in, reaching an arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"Damn, have we got some stories," Reno laughed, shaking his head. "And I've got more than either of you. I knew them both long before you two were hired."

"Tell us!" Azrael demanded, glaring at the redhead.

"Please?" Andria pleaded, opening her purple eyes wide at her mother.

The adults laughed and settled in to relate what they remembered and the kids were old enough to hear.


	9. Reunion

**Summary: **A pregnancy that nobody should know of, a mother who will hide her child for his own protection. But for all her precautions, has she been discovered? Will Akalara's son be doomed live to the same life his father was? Or will she be able to protect him from Hojo and Shinra, the very people she works for?

**Disclaimer: **Any and all OCs belong to me, Akalara in particular. Seph, Zack, Reno, Tseng, Verdot, and any other canon characters mentioned belong to Square Enix. Kandi belongs to AmazonTurk. Lily belongs to Mysticjc1.

**Queen's Quornor: **This is meant to take place a few days after Andria and Kandi go up to visit Zack's memorial. I figured something like this would occur. Oh, and btw, Azrael's hair is back to its original silver majesty. No more black dye for him!

Reunion

Akalara switched off her computer and stretched, looking at the moon outside her window while she worked the kinks out of her shoulders and back. Kandi and Andria had left hours ago, after watching movies with her and Azrael for most of the day, the red-streaked woman carrying her sleepy daughter out to the car. Azrael was in bed, having nodded off in front of the television and been briefly roused long enough for his mother to get him into his own room, leaving Akalara to complete some work she had put off the other day in favor of carousing with Reno.

The green-haired woman sighed and got up from her chair, rubbing her arms as she strolled down the hall to Azrael's bedroom. She pushed open the door and leaned against the jamb, relieved when she saw him sleeping peacefully beneath the covers. A part of her, even after a week of having him with her regularly, had been worried that this was all a dream, and he was still with Monica, separated from her by her own choice for his own protection.

It was not a cruel dream. He was still there when she looked again.

Azrael was the sort of son any woman could be proud of. He was smart, sweet, and thoughtful. He cleaned up after himself and did his homework without too much prompting. He was a handsome child who helped her out around the house and acted very mature for his age. Sure, he could be stubborn and argumentative at times, but Akalara didn't mind. She had had more than enough experience dealing with pig-headed men over the past decade.

She felt her heart swell as she watched him sleep, and was thankful that her lover had given him to her before his death. Despite all the pain and fear she hadd suffered in keeping him secret and separate from her, she had no regrets.

"I wish you could see him, Seph," she whispered softly, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "You would be proud of him."

"I already am."

Her heart leapt at the familiar voice, but she didn't turn around. She had imagined his voice far too many times to allow her imagination to get the best of her once again. He wasn't coming back. There was no way, not after being killed three times already.

Warm, strong arms slid around her waist, pulling her back against a familiar, hard body. Akalara didn't open her eyes, not even when she felt soft lips press against her scalp. She merely laid her hands atop the leather-clad arms and leaned her head back against his chest, feeling the warmth against her back.

This couldn't be a dream. She had never imagined him quite like this before. Only his voice.

"I've been proud of him since you bore him, and I've been proud of you, for loving and protecting him."

"I love him because he's my son," she confessed. "But also because I loved you."

He turned her in his arms and tipped her chin up. "Open your eyes."

She shook her head, a tear slipping from beneath one closed lid.

"Why won't you look at me?" He sounded hurt.

"Because I'm afraid that if I do, you won't be you." She couldn't bear it if this was just a dream, or another fake. Another clone. Another piece of JENOVA. Whatever it could be called.

"Would you believe it was me if I threw you up against a wall and had my wicked way with you?"

"Seph..." She opened her eyes, fully aware that she was crying as his handsome face came into view. She stared up at him for a long while, searching his peridot eyes for anything that would reveal a mimic, then hid her face against his chest and wept.

It was him. Undeniably, this was Sephiroth. The real one, not the monster. The man who had saved her from the streets.

His arms were tight around her, holding her secure. "Don't cry, Ak. Please don't cry."

"I can't help it." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I never, ever thought I'd see you again."

"I'm sorry I didn't come back to you." The peridot eyes looked mounful, full of regret. "I never should have gone down to that library, no matter what Jenova told me. If I hadn't read that material, she would never have gained a foothold in my mind."

"It nearly killed me, when I found out about you and Zack." She curled her arms around him, laying her head against his heart. "Especially when I had just found out I was pregnant ten minutes before Reno told me."

"I wish I could have been there for you. You shouldn't have had to have gone through it all alone."

"I chose to go through it alone. So I could protect our son." The green-haired Turk drew back, smiling up at him. "Would you like to see him?"

"More than anything." He followed her to the bed, left hand twined loosely with hers in the manner of lovers. Akalara smiled and pulled back the covers slightly, revealing the sleeping boy beneath.

"This is your son, Azrael."

Sephiroth looked down at him, then hesitantly reached out with his free hand to stroke the silky silver hair spilling across the child's face and shoulder. Azrael didn't stir at his father's touch. "He's beautiful, Ak. Just like his mother."

"He looks so much like you. The only thing of mine he's got is his eyes." She smiled sadly and slid her arm around the spirit's waist, resting her head against his upper arm. "Every time I see him, I am reminded of you."

"If there was a way to change the past, we would have raised him together, along with a multitude of brothers and sisters."

Akalara looked up at him, her eyes sincere. "You gave me Azrael. That was more than I was expecting, more than I could have asked for."

Sephiroth stared wordlessly down at his son for a moment, then flung his right hand out to the side. Emerald energy glimmered, and a moment later Masamune was in his hand. The silver-haired man reached down and took Azrael's hand, wrapping it tightly about the pommel. "I can't be there for him as a father. But I can give him this. When he's ready, the power to wield it will be transferred to him." He closed his eyes. "The Sword of Sephiroth is now the Sword of Azrael, Son of Sephiroth."

"Seph..." Akalara turned a pleading gaze upon him, feeling him begin to melt away beneath her arm. "Will we ever see you again?"

He smiled at her, then leaned down to press a burning kiss to her brow. "I'll always be with you, both of you, just as you'll always be with me." A similar kiss was given to Azrael, who stirred lightly. "I'll visit you again, Akalara. Farewell."

"Farewell, Seph," the Turk murmured, feeling tears spring forth once more, but this time with a smile. "I'll be waiting."

Sephiroth's form faded away just as his son awakened. Azrael sat up and rubbed his eyes, then started when he saw the six-foot-long katana lying in bed next to him. Stunned cranberry eyes flew to his mother, who was standing serenely by his bed.

"Mom! This sword! It's..."

"Yes. That is the Masamune, your father's sword."

"What's it doing here?" he asked, running his fingers along the dark blue fabric wrapped around the grip.

Akalara smiled and came around to the other side of the bed, sitting down beside her son and pressing a kiss to his temple. "It's a gift. From your father. He wants you to have it, once you're old enough to use it."

Azrael stared at her, speechless, then dragged the katana into his lap and ran his fingers down the silky, razor-sharp blade. After a moment, he looked out the window, to the stars glittering outside.

"Thank you...Father."


End file.
